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Thursday, 15 December 2016 02:49

SGF Babachir Lawal reacts to Senate’s call for his sack, prosecution

Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir Lawal, has said that calls by the Senate for his resignation and prosecution are an attempt to rubbish his person. Lawal said this while speaking to journalists shortly after the 2017 Budget Proposal presentation by President Muhammadu Buhari before the joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday in Abuja. Efforts to get more response from the SGF failed as he did not respond to further questions. The Senate had at plenary earlier called for the removal and prosecution of the SGF following alleged complicity in the diversion of the North…

Thursday, 15 December 2016 02:47

Deficit rises in Buhari's record N7.28 trillion 2017 budget

Nigeria expects its 2017 deficit to rise to 2.36 trillion naira ($7.75 billion), President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday, as the government tries to drag Africa's biggest economy out of recession with a budget that foresees record spending. Buhari is facing rising disenchantment with his handling of the economy as Nigeria struggles with 18 percent inflation and its first recession in 25 years, brought on by low global prices for the oil it produces. Capital expenditure will rise by nearly a quarter next year to 2.24 trillion naira as the state invests in roads, railways and power plants to diversify…

Thursday, 15 December 2016 02:46

SANs reject FG’s briefs to prosecute accused judges

About 10 Senior Advocates of Nigeria have rejected Federal Government’s briefs for the prosecution of some judges lined up for trial on corruption charges. Top sources in the Federal Ministry of Justice confirmed to our correspondent on Wednesday that some of the SANs who rejected the briefs were part of the 80 special prosecutors brought together by the Federal Government, through its National Prosecution Coordinating Committee. The 80 special prosecutors grouped into 20 teams are meant to handle Federal Government’s high-profile cases that are instituted by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice’s office. There are 20…

Thursday, 15 December 2016 02:44

WAEC to conduct ‘GCE’ twice a year

West African Examinations Council, WAEC, says it will soon begin the conduct of its examination for private candidates, popularly called GCE, twice in a year with effect from 2017. The council Registrar, Dr Iyi Uwadiae, said on the sidelines of the council’s “Registrar’s Staff Appraisal Committee’’ meeting on Wednesday in Accra, Ghana. Uwadiae said, “The West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates known as the November/December diet for private candidates will now be conducted in January/February and August/September.’’ According to him, the measure is to ensure that many private candidates, who desire the certificate for various purposes,…

Thursday, 15 December 2016 02:43

Akwa Ibom govt blocks moves by NSE, SON to investigate church building collapse

Akwa Ibom State government has rejected plans by the Nigeria Society of Engineers, NSE, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, and any other interested organisation to investigate the collapse of a church building in the state. The Nigeria police said 27 people lost their lives, while 37 were injured when an uncompleted structure housing the Reigners Bible Church, Uyo, collapsed on Saturday during a ceremony to enthrone the founder of the church, Akan Weeks, as a bishop. The building collapsed shortly after the ceremony started around 10 a.m., with heavy iron beams falling on worshipers, including women and children. The…

Thursday, 15 December 2016 02:41

Victims rescued from Boko Haram are stuck in guarded camps as famine approaches

Seen from above in a helicopter, the straight white walls of Ngala camp in northeast Nigeria carve a misshapen star out of the dry brown scrub. There are 55,000 people living in tents and straw huts inside the geometric garrison, protected from Boko Haram jihadists by the military. Though the city of Ngala is less than a kilometre away, these people can't go back to a normal life. "Boko Haram is still here, the only thing we can do is wait for food," said Aishi, a 50-year-old woman with deep lines in her tired face. Over the past year, Nigerian…

Wednesday, 14 December 2016 17:22

Buhari presents N7.28 trillion budget for 2017: Here is the full speech

1. It is my pleasure to present the 2017 Budget Proposals to this distinguished Joint Assembly: the Budget of Recovery and Growth. 2. We propose that the implementation of the Budget will be based on our Economic Recovery and Growth Strategy. The Plan, which builds on our 2016 Budget, provides a clear road map of policy actions and steps designed to bring the economy out of recession and to a path of steady growth and prosperity. 3. We continue to face the most challenging economic situation in the history of our Nation. Nearly every home and nearly every business in…

Wednesday, 14 December 2016 17:20

Senate to Buhari: SGF Babachir Lawal is corrupt, remove him now

The Senate has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend and ensure prosecution of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal, over alleged breach of Nigeria’s law in handling contracts awarded by the Presidential Initiative for the North East, PINE The Senate’s resolution on Wednesday followed presentation of the report on mounting humanitarian crisis in the north-east by the Shehu Sani-led ad hoc committee. Lawal’s company, Global Vision Ltd., is one of the companies indicted by the committee for allegedly benefiting from inflated and phantom contracts – or ones not executed at all – awarded by the…

Wednesday, 14 December 2016 17:19

Ondo: Mimiko’s legacy difficult to surpass – Akeredolu

Governor-elect of Ondo State, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, said on Wednesday that the enviable record of service of Governor Olusegun Mimiko would be difficult to surpass. Akeredolu said this when he led some members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state on a courtesy visit to Dr Mimiko in his office in Akure. He commended Mimiko for devoting his time to the service of the people of the state, adding that his wealth of experience and advice would be needed for sustainable development. “We are here as indigenes of Ondo who are concerned about the progress and development of…

Wednesday, 14 December 2016 02:42

UNICEF: 80,000 children will starve to death in Nigeria

Nearly a half million children will face starvation in northeastern Nigeria next year and 80,000 will die if they don't get treatment in the humanitarian crisis created by Boko Haram's Islamic uprising, the U.N. Children's Agency warned Tuesday. "What is already a crisis can become a catastrophe," UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake said. His statement said the 400,000 children at risk of starvation represent just a fraction of the suffering among some 2.6 million refugees in the seven-year insurgency that has killed more than 20,000 people. "If they do not receive the treatment they need, one in five of these…

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Wednesday, 14 December 2016 02:41

Another Army Lt. Col. killed by suspected Boko Haram terrorists

Another senior Nigerian Army officer has been killed by suspected Boko Haram militants. The officer, O. Umusu, a Lieutenant Colonel and Commanding Officer, 118 Task Force Battalion in Borno State, was killed alongside his security details, by an Improvised Explosive Device in an ambush Monday evening. Military insiders said the officer and his men were returning from Maiduguri to their location towards Baga. The incident happened between Sari and Gudumbali. Their remains were evacuated to 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital, our sources said. This is the fourth lieutenant colonel the army is losing in two months. PT

Wednesday, 14 December 2016 02:39

NNPC still diverting oil proceeds - Saraki

Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday said the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is still diverting proceeds from sale of crude oil. Speaking on the alleged diversion of $5billion by the NNPC and the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Saraki said “We must put an end to this type of level of misappropriation and recklessness. This must stop. “They did it up to the last administration and now they are carrying out the same practice again. We must put an end to this and we cannot continue this issue where some people are sabotaging the efforts to fight corruption.” The Senate…

Wednesday, 14 December 2016 02:38

Reps open inquiry into long-disputed Shell, Eni oil field

House of Representatives opened an investigation on Tuesday into an offshore oil field owned by Royal Dutch Shell and Eni, the latest inquiry into their acquisition of the OPL 245 licence block which could hold up to 9.23 billion barrels of oil, according to industry figures. Earlier this year the Dutch and Italian authorities launched their own investigations. The acquisition in 2011 was a "breach of due process that resulted in monumental revenue loss to the country," said Yakubu Dogara, speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives. A spokesman for Shell said: "As this matter is the subject of current investigations,…

Wednesday, 14 December 2016 02:37

Court orders EFCC to unblock Fayose’s account

A Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes commission, EFCC, to unfreeze all blocked accounts belonging to Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose. The judge, Taiwo Taiwo, gave the ruling on Tuesday after considering the arguments of respective counsels on the matter. The judge also said the decision of the commission to freeze the account, without considering first the arguments or opinion of Mr. Fayose on the matter, amounted to abuse of the defendant’s fundamental rights to fair hearing. Mr. Taiwo said the act, as perpetrated by the EFCC, was illegal, wrongful and unconstitutional. He noted…

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